Six Indonesians charged in S'pore

Six Indonesians charged in S'pore

SINGAPORE: Six Indonesian men have been charged for allegedly
trying to enter Singapore illegally, police said on Tuesday.

The men rowed a small, wooden boat for about six hours from an
Indonesian island before they were spotted by Singapore's coast
guard early on Sunday in waters off the city-state's eastern
coast, the police said in a statement.

Police spokesman Rachel Yeo said the men, who were not
identified, were charged on Monday. She declined to say from
which Indonesian island they had left.

If convicted, they face jail terms of up to six months and
three strokes of the cane.

"The six ...claimed to be Indonesians," the police statement
said. "They had no travel documents and were looking for jobs in
the city-state."

Thousands of people from impoverished Indonesia and other
neighboring countries flock to wealthy Singapore in search of
work. -- AP